Cabinet approves ₹4,371 crore to overhaul India's data collection system

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the Cabinet has cleared ₹4,371 crore to modernise the country's data collection system

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a five-year scheme with an outlay of ₹4,371.10 crore  to modernise India's official data collection system, improve the quality of statistics and make data more accessible for policymaking.

 

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics and Research (VISTAR) will run from FY27 to FY31. It aims to make the country's statistical system more responsive, improve the availability of detailed data and use technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in data processing and analysis.

 

Three components of the VISTAR scheme

 

The scheme has three main components:

 

• Comprehensive Statistical Operations and Strengthening of Ecosystem

• Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS)

 •Economic Census (EC)

 

Under the first component, MoSPI plans to conduct 59 surveys during the 16th Finance Commission cycle, compared with 43 major surveys in the previous cycle. The additional surveys are expected to address data gaps across sectors and help the government make more informed policy decisions.

 

The ministry will also work towards digitising the entire statistical process, from data collection to analysis and publication. AI and ML will be used to improve data processing, verification and analysis.

 

New economic indicators and use of alternative data

 

MoSPI plans to introduce new indicators, including the Headline Index of Services Production and the Index of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises.

 

The ministry will also work towards making government datasets easier to access, share and use across departments. This includes improving data standards, ensuring compatibility between databases and putting privacy safeguards in place.

 

It also plans to use alternative sources such as mobile phone records, scanner data and e-commerce information alongside traditional surveys. This could help reduce the burden on respondents and fill gaps in existing datasets.

 

States to get support for better data collection

 

Under the SSS component, states and Union Territories will receive financial and technical support to strengthen their statistical systems.

 

The revamped framework, called SSS 2.0, will focus on generating more detailed data at the district level and building local capabilities for data processing.

 

MoSPI will also support the preparation of district-level estimates and estimates for cities with populations of more than one million. This will cover surveys such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) and Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE).

 

Eighth Economic Census to cover establishments across India

 

The third component will cover the eighth Economic Census, which MoSPI will conduct in partnership with states and Union Territories.

 

The census will collect details of non-farm establishments and their workers, down to the gram panchayat and ward levels. It will help assess the size and spread of the unorganised sector. The data will also form the basis for a National Statistical Business Register, which can help the government plan targeted surveys and policies for businesses.